Well-Rounded Wisdom

1  Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
    but he who hates reproof is stupid.
2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
    but a man of evil devices he condemns.
3 No one is established by wickedness,
    but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
    but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5 The thoughts of the righteous are just;
    the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
    but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
    but the house of the righteous will stand.
8 A man is commended according to his good sense,
    but one of twisted mind is despised.
9 Better to be lowly and have a servant
    than to play the great man and lack bread.
10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
    but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
    but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
12 Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers,
    but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
    but the righteous escapes from trouble.
14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
    and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
    but a wise man listens to advice.
16 The vexation of a fool is known at once,
    but the prudent ignores an insult.
17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
    but a false witness utters deceit.
18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
    but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
    but those who plan peace have joy.
21 No ill befalls the righteous,
    but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
    but those who act faithfully are his delight.
23 A prudent man conceals knowledge,
    but the heart of fools proclaims folly.
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
    while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
    but a good word makes him glad.
26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,
    but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
    but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
28 In the path of righteousness is life,
    and in its pathway there is no death. – Proverbs 12:1-28 ESV

Wisdom isn’t just an intellectual asset that comes in handy when having to make difficult decisions. It is a way of life – the godly life. And it encompasses everything from our inner thoughts and cognitive capabilities to our spoken words and the way we conduct ourselves in daily life. In other words, wisdom influences our thoughts, words, and deeds. And this Proverb makes that point quite clear.

It all begins on the inside, in the heart and mind of the one who desires the wisdom that God offers. Wise living can only come from one who has gained the capacity for wise thinking. It’s interesting to note that when God made the fateful decision to destroy mankind through a devastating flood, it was based on the following assessment:

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. – Genesis 6:5 ESV

Yes, their behavior had become abhorrent to God, but it had all begun in their hearts. Ever since the fall, mankind had been on a trajectory away from God. After disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve had been ejected from the Garden. They eventually settled to the east of Eden. And their future descendants would continue to move increasingly further from God’s presence, both physically and spiritually. Their migration away from Eden left them increasingly alienated from and ignorant of God. In fact, in one of his psalms, Solomon’s father, David describes the plight of all those who lose touch with God and find themselves displaying the characteristics of the fool. 

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
    there is none who does good. – Psalm 14:1 ESV

Solomon states, “The thoughts of the righteous are just…” (Proverbs 12:5 ESV). It all begins in the heart and mind. And this idea is consistent with Solomon’s earlier admonition:

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. – Proverbs 4:23 NLT

And Jesus Himself warned that the heart was the repository of all man’s thoughts and actions.

“But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you.” – Matthew 15:18-20 NLT

Notice how many times Solomon refers to the importance of our inner thoughts.

A man is commended according to his good sense,
    but one of twisted mind is despised. – Proverbs 12:8 ESV

Fools think their own way is right,
    but the wise listen to others. – Proverbs 12:15 NLT

Deceit fills hearts that are plotting evil;
    joy fills hearts that are planning peace! – Proverbs 12:20 NLT

Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down… – Proverbs 12:25 ESV

God’s brand of wisdom is meant to influence man’s heart because a heart devoid of God will result in a life devoid of godliness. The individual who has lost touch with God will display a lifestyle that is out of step with His will and in violation of His commands.

Near the end of the book of Judges, God provides an assessment of the spiritual state of His chosen people, the nation of Israel.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. – Judges 25:21 ESV

Throughout the book of Judges, the Israelites are shown to have a stubborn propensity for turning their backs on God. Their real problem was not that they lacked a human king, but that they refused to honor God as their sovereign Lord. In Judges 2, we are given a synopsis of the problem that plagued the Israelites.

And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. – Judges 2:10-12 ESV

And before long, the Israelites began to act like fools, displaying behavior that was out of character for God’s chosen people and out of touch with His revealed will for them. So, God was forced to discipline them for their sinful behavior. They were destined to suffer the consequences of their unwise choices and learn the painful lessons that disobedience brings. And Solomon points out man’s need to love the discipline of God.

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
    but he who hates reproof is stupid. – Proverbs 12:1 ESV

When we step out of line with God, He lovingly reproves and corrects us. His discipline is never arbitrary or unwarranted, but it is always lovingly and justly administered. Solomon pointed out in an earlier proverb, “My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:11-12 ESV).

Ultimately, God’s discipline is intended to produce godly behavior. And that seems to be the point of Solomon’s proverb. God wants to pour out His favor upon His people. He longs to bless them by rewarding their obedience to His will.

A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
    but a man of evil devices he condemns. – Proverbs 12:2 ESV

And as God redeems and restores an individual’s heart, that inner transformation begins to show up in their words.

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
    but the mouth of the upright delivers them. – Proverbs 12:6 ESV

The wicked are trapped by their own words,
    but the godly escape such trouble. – Proverbs 12:13 NLT

Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
    but a false witness utters deceit. – Proverbs 12:17 ESV

Truthful words stand the test of time,
    but lies are soon exposed. – Proverbs 12:19 NLT

But God’s reformation of the heart also produces transformed actions.

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
    but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. – Proverbs 12:11 ESV

…the work of a man's hand comes back to him. – Proverbs 12:14 ESV

Work hard and become a leader;
    be lazy and become a slave. – Proverbs 12:24 NLT

Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
    but the diligent make use of everything they find. – Proverbs 12:27 NLT

The godly tend to be well-rounded people whose lives display an inner strength that flows out in both words and deeds. Their hearts and minds produce attitudes and actions that convey their reverence for God. They are not duplicitous or hypocritical. God does not say of them what He said about the people of Israel.

“These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” – Isaiah 29:13 NLT

But instead, God recognizes their desire to obey His will and rewards them accordingly.

The way of the godly leads to life;
    that path does not lead to death. – Proverbs 12:28 NLT

It is interesting to note than when Jesus was asked by the Jewish religious leaders which was the greatest of all of God’s commandments, He stated:

“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’” – Mark 12:29-30 NLT

Heart, soul, mind, and strength. God’s intention is to transform man from the inside out, and it is His desire that every area of a man’s life is renewed and radically altered to reflect his identity as a child of God.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

A Change of Perspective

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:31-38 ESV

When Jesus asked the disciples who they thought Him to be, Peter quickly responded with the correct answer: “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29 ESV). But Jesus knew that Peter had a somewhat cloudy understanding of what his statement even meant. Like the blind man Jesus had just healed, Peter was experiencing blurry vision – a fuzzy and incomplete understanding of Jesus’ identity. And Peter was not the only one of the disciples who was suffering from a foggy perspective concerning Jesus.

So, in an attempt to add context and clarity to Peter’s answer, Jesus “began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31 ESV).

When Peter had announced that Jesus was the Christ, he had none of these things in mind. The suffering, rejection, and murder of Jesus were not on his radar screen. His concept of the Messiah did not include such things. And without them, there was certainly no need for a resurrection.

This announcement from Jesus would have made no sense to the disciples. They knew He and the religious leaders didn’t get along, but they would never have dreamed that these holy men would attempt to kill the Messiah of Israel. Yet Jesus made it clear that “the elders and the chief priests and the scribes” would be the ones behind His death. These three groups comprised the Sanhedrin, the high council of Israel which consisted of 70 members. The men who sat on this council were powerful, influential, and revered by the people. They were considered the spiritual elite of the day. And to think that they would conspire to kill Jesus was incomprehensible to the disciples.

Peter was appalled by this grim announcement and responded by pulling Jesus aside and rebuking Him. Matthew tells us what Peter said to Jesus.

“Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” – Matthew 16:22 ESV

It is difficult to fully appreciate the force behind Peter’s statement. The NET Bible provides a better and more literal translation that lets us see how shocked and upset Peter was by Jesus’ words.

“God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!” – Matthew 16:22 NET

This time, Peter didn’t understand what he was saying. He meant well, but his words were spoken rashly and without any thought as to their import. But Jesus responded quickly and harshly. Mark indicates that Jesus looked at His disciples. It is likely that He gazed into eyes filled with fear and confusion. He could see the state of turmoil they were in and knew that they shared Peter’s concern. But He quickly turned His attention to Peter and rebuked him in front of his peers.

“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” – Mark 8:33 ESV

Jesus accused the very man who had just confessed Him to be the Christ of being “Satan.” This public rebuke was meant to send a message, not just to Peter but to every one of the disciples. By declaring his opposition to the revealed will of God, Peter had unknowingly aligned himself with the enemy. When Peter had shouted, “God forbid,” it was almost as if he was demanding that God alter His plans. Jesus had just revealed the Father’s will for His life but Peter didn’t approve. He found any mention of suffering, rejection, and death to be unfathomable and, therefore, unacceptable.

Matthew adds that Jesus accused Peter of being a skandalon, a stumbling block. Rather than assisting Jesus in His God-ordained mission, Peter was acting as an impediment. His well-meaning desire that Jesus avoid suffering and death was more in line with the will of Satan than it was with God’s divine redemptive plan. Satan had been trying to derail the mission of Jesus from the beginning. All the way back to the birth of Jesus, Satan had attempted to use King Herod to eliminate the Christ child. And more than 30 years later, after Jesus was baptized by John and led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Satan repeatedly tempted Jesus, trying to convince Him to abandon His mission. 

Now, here was Peter, one of the 12, declaring his opposition to the divinely-ordained ministry of Jesus the Christ. Jesus had made it plain and simple. He must suffer, die, and then rise again. Every aspect of God’s plan non-negotiable and completely necessary. Jesus had come to fulfill the will of His Father. And Jesus revealed to Peter that his perspective was skewed.

“You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” – Mark 8:33 NLT

Without realizing it, Peter had been demanding that his will be done. He had put his expectations and desires ahead of God’s. He could see no personal benefit from Jesus suffering and dying. He had no need for a dead Messiah. Or so he thought.

Peter didn’t realize that his wish for Jesus to escape death was actually a nightmare waiting to happen. Little did he know that, without Jesus’ death, there would be no kingdom. There would be no forgiveness of sin. As Jesus had made clear, He had to be “lifted up.” Just as the bronze serpent was lifted up in the wilderness and brought healing to all those who were guilty of sin and facing death, so Jesus must be lifted up on the cross so that mankind’s sin debt might be paid in full. It was only through Jesus’ sacrificial death that sinful men and women could find restoration and redemption. Clinging to a living Jesus was not going to save Peter. He was going to have to embrace the crucified Christ as his only hope of being reconciled to God.

Having rebuked Peter in front of his peers, Jesus expanded His audience by calling a crowd to join them. And the message He delivered to them was intended to provide Peter and the disciples with further insight into His mission and their role in it.

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” – Mark 8:34-35 NLT

Jesus was calling Peter and his companions to abandon their agendas. He knew they had all kinds of expectations concerning His role as the Messiah. When Jesus finally got around to establishing His Kingdom on earth, they were hoping to play vital roles in His royal administration. But Jesus was letting them know that His Kingdom would not come without sacrifice. He was going to be required to take up His cross, and they would have to do the same. He was going to willingly lay down His life so that He might take it up again (John 10:17-18), and He was expecting them to follow His example.

Peter and the rest of the disciples couldn’t help but focus all their attention on the present. They were in it for what they thought they could get out of it. But Jesus had a much-longer perspective. He realized that humiliation must precede glorification. Death had to come before life. Sacrifice was the key to obtaining the riches of God’s goodness and grace.

The disciples had short-term outlooks. They were interested in immediate gratification and were hoping to enjoy their best life in the here-and-now, not the hereafter. Jesus’ emphasis on the soul was meant to realign their thinking by reminding them that there was a spiritual dimension to their lives. Their souls would outlast their physical bodies. They were eternal creatures living in a temporal world, and Jesus was trying to clarify their vision so that they might embrace God’s plan of redemption with open arms and willing hearts.

Years later, long after Jesus had suffered, died, been resurrected, and returned to His Father’s side in heaven, the apostle John would write these powerful words of admonition and encouragement. His audience was made up of believers living near the end of the 1st-Century who were facing persecution, suffering, and even death because of their faith in Christ. They were living out in daily life what it means to take up your cross and follow Jesus. But they were constantly being tempted to lose sight of the future and to pursue the pleasures of the present. So, John warned them:

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. – 1 John 2:15-17 NLT

And Jesus closes out His message with a sobering word that was clearly intended for the ears of His disciples.

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38 NLT

Jesus was not insinuating that Peter was in danger of losing his status as one of God’s chosen. He was simply warning Peter and the other disciples that they were about to face a difficult period of time that was going to test their allegiance and tempt them to abandon all hope. But notice that Jesus assures them that, in spite of all that will happen, He will be coming back. That is to be their focus. Yes, they will see Him arrested, tried, humiliated, crucified, killed, and buried. But they will also see Him raised back to life and watch Him ascend into heaven. And He will leave with comforting words concerning His eventual return.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” – John 14:1-3 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Called Out. Sold Out.

Deuteronomy 5-6, John 12

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ­– Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV

God had chosen the people of Israel for a reason. He wanted them to be a living, breathing example of what a relationship between God and man might look like. He wanted to reveal His power through them. He wanted to providentially provide for them. He wanted to guide and direct them, as well as protect them. Their relationship and interaction with God was to be a special and unique, unlike that of any other nation. But that relationship required allegiance and obedience. God had proven His love for them through His decision of choosing them, redeeming them from slavery in Egypt, and giving them His irrevocable pledge of a land of their own. But God expected theirs to be a reciprocal relationship. He wasn’t just looking for half-hearted adherents to His laws who obeyed solely out of fear. He desired a people who would love Him for who He was and for all He had done for them.

Verses 4-5 of Deuteronomy 6 contain the great “Shema” – what would become, in essence, the statement of faith for the Hebrew people.  “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV). This was a call to commitment, a corporate live in a covenant relationship with God, recognizing Him as their God and loving Him accordingly. The proof of their love for God was to expressed in their faithful devotion to Him alone. It was to be holistic in nature, influencing every area of their life and every aspect of their nature. They were to be wholly holy, completely set apart to God and fully in love with Him.

What does this passage reveal about God?

God desires a relationship with mankind. He could have demanded unwavering allegiance from those whom He has made, and hold them accountable for their failure to obey. But knowing that they were completely incapable of living in obedience to His law and unable to meet His righteous standards, He chose to show mercy and grace. He lovingly and graciously provided the means by which they could enjoy His presence and receive His forgiveness and pardon, in spite of their repeated failures to remain faithful and sinless. But God expected those whom He had chosen and showered with His mercy and grace to respond in love. He wanted them to recognize His goodness and appreciate just how blessed they were to have this one-of-a-kind relationship with Him. He wanted them to tell their children. God expected His people to be so overwhelmed by His grace that they would willingly and gladly tell the next generation.

In those days, the key to living in a loving relationship with God was based on an understanding of and obedience to the law of God. That’s why Moses tells the people, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV). But it wasn’t just the law of God that was to be passed down. They were to constantly remind one another of God’s goodness and grace. They were to remember His great deeds done on their behalf. They were to recall His covenant faithfulness and recount it to those who were too young to have experienced it. One of the greatest expressions of our love for God is our willingness and eagerness to talk about Him to others. We talk about those whom we love. We brag about those who are near and dear to us, including our family members or friends. But do we brag about God?

What does this passage reveal about man?

Over in the gospel of John, we read that not long after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, people began to believe in Him. It’s amazing how a little thing like raising the dead made a profound impact on them. Even some of the rulers of the Jews had become convinced that Jesus was truly who He claimed to be. But John tells us, “but because of the Pharisees they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue. For they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (John 12:42-43 NET). Isn’t that the problem we all face? They cared more about what others thought about them than they did about all that God was doing among them. They worshiped man more than they did God.

Jesus Himself said, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me” (John 12:45-45 NET). Ultimately, belief in Jesus was really an expression of belief in God, because He had been sent by God. He was the Son of God. Upon His arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus had been greeted by enthusiastic crowds shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” (John 12:13 NET). They appeared to be expressing love for Jesus that was from their whole mind, their whole being and all their strength. It looked as if they were giving it their all. But in just a short time, their shouts of joy would turn to screams of rage. Instead of “Hosanna!,” they would be shouting, “Crucify Him!” Their love for Jesus would prove to be short-lived and short-sighted. Instead of recognizing Him as their Savior, they ended up rejecting Him. His talk of death and sacrifice were unappealing to them. They weren’t looking for a suffering Savior, but a conquering Messiah and King.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

Jesus told the people in the crowd, “If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26 NET). Jesus was calling for a commitment. He was asking for a wholesale expression of allegiance on the part of His followers, involving their whole mind, their whole being, and all their strength. Jesus was calling them to a long-term relationship that was going to last long after this world has ceased to exist. God expects those for whom He sent His Son to express their love and appreciation for His great gift of mercy and grace. We show our love through our belief, but also through our behavior. We express our love for God by talking about Him incessantly and eagerly. We tell of His goodness. We brag about His power. We express thanks for His blessings and remind one another of His promises yet to come. Those of us who have been called out are expected to live sold-out lives, fully committed to Him and expressing our love for Him as we live in obedience to Him.

Father, thank You for choosing me. I was totally unworthy, but You sent Your Son to die in my place in order to pay for the sins I had committed. Help me comprehend the magnitude of that reality and live accordingly. May my life increasingly reflect my love for You as I talk about You, brag on You and live in obedience to You. Amen

Back to the Basics.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NLT

As Paul began to wrap up his correspondence with the Corinthian believers, he attempted to refocus their attention on what was really important. He took them back to the heart of their faith: The Good News regarding Jesus Christ. It is so easy to get distracted from the reality that without Christ's death, burial and resurrection, we have nothing to live for. All the spiritual gifts in the world, our rights, our reputation in the community, our status within the local body of Christ, and our biblical knowledge mean absolutely nothing if the Good News about Jesus is not true. So Paul revisited the three primary points regarding the Good News or the gospel. It was this message, in its entirety, that had led to their salvation. All three aspects of the Good News are essential for believing faith. Two out of three won't work. Partial belief will not result in salvation. To accept that Jesus died for your sins and was buried are two critical aspects of the Good News, but are incomplete. You must also believe that God raised Him from the dead. Without the resurrection, all we would have is a martyr, not a Messiah. Without His resurrection, we would have no hope. And this seems to be the crux of what Paul is getting to in this section of his letter. It appears that some of the Corinthians were struggling with the concept of the resurrection. It's even clear that some of them were saying there will be no resurrection of the dead. Their struggle was most likely related to the Greek belief that, while the soul was immortal, the body was not. They tended to dichotomize the two. The body was evil and material, so it made no sense that God would resurrect the body. But the soul was another matter. It was spiritual and good. Most likely, they believed that their souls were already born again and reigning with Christ, so there was no need for resurrected bodies. So there was no need for a resurrection. But Paul begged to differ. If their conclusions had been right and there was no such thing as a resurrection of the dead, then Christ could not have been raised. "And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless" (1 Corinthians 15:14 NLT).

The resurrection of Jesus was and is the heart of the gospel. Yes, it is vitally important that Jesus died a sacrificial, substitutionary death for our sins. That part is critical. But if all Jesus had done was die, we would have no hope. He would still be dead. And we too would face death. Paul made it clear that Christ's resurrection was essential for His death to be effective in paying for our sins. "And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17 NLT). Jesus had died as a payment for our sins. He was buried as proof that His death was real. And He remained in the grave for three days, in keeping with the prophecies concerning His death and as further proof of its finality. But He was raised by God on the third day – miraculously, permanently, and bodily. It wasn't just His soul that was raised. It was His body. And Paul gives proof. Jesus was seen by more than 500 of His followers in the days following His resurrection, including by Paul himself. They saw His body. They ate with Him. They spoke with Him. And the disciples witnessed His ascencion back into heaven.

Jesus had died for their sins. He had been buried in a grave. But He had also been resurrected from the dead. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote, "I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death. So that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:10 NLT). The resurrection of Jesus is the gold standard for God's power in the Scriptures. God raised His Son from death back to life. It is that unbelievable power that is available to each of us as believers. The same power that could transform the body of Jesus from death to life can transform our lives from death to life. The resurrection of Jesus should remind us of the incredible power at our disposal. There is nothing impossible for God. He is the life-transforming, miracle-working God who gives life in place of death – who restores, redeems, revitalizes, and regenerates what has been dead. And Paul believed that fact with all his life. "But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me – and not without results" (1 Corinthians 15:10 NLT). Paul had been redeemed from the life of hopelessness and sinfulness. He had been transformed from a persecutor of the Church of Jesus Christ to a messenger of the gospel of Jesus Christ. All because of the power of the resurrection.

Father, help me understand the power of the resurrection in my own life. It isn't that I don't believe it. It's just that I'm not sure I fully appreciate it. It has become old hat and I have become too familiar with the message of the resurrection. I won't to comprehend it's impact on my daily life, just as Paul did. Amen.